The short answer
- 1Telegram Passport hands your ID documents to services that verify identity, encrypted end to end.
- 2Encryption keeps Telegram out, but whoever you authorize receives the documents.
- 3Requests to send ID photos in a chat are not Passport, and they are scams.
In this article
What Telegram Passport is
Telegram Passport lets you hand identity documents and personal details to a website or service that needs to verify who you are, such as a financial or crypto service, from inside Telegram. You fill in your details once, and later services can be sent the parts they ask for instead of you uploading everything again.
The app describes the protection this way: "Your information, personal data, and documents are protected by end-to-end encryption. Nobody, including Telegram, can access them without your permission." Telegram's announcement adds that the data is stored in the Telegram cloud, encrypted with a password only you know, and that shared data goes directly to the recipient.
How a request works
- On the service's site or bot, you choose to verify or sign up with Telegram Passport.
- Telegram opens a request screen: "Service name requests access to your personal data to sign you up for their services."
- You enter your password to unlock your data, review the list of what is requested, fill in or pick the items, and tap Authorize.
The request screen also says what you are agreeing to: that you accept the service's privacy policy and allow its bot to send you messages. If the service has no policy, it says you are sending your documents directly to it.
Where Passport appears in Settings has changed between versions, and it may not be listed at all; it always opens when a service sends a request.
Before you authorize
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Is the requesting service the real one? | Encryption protects the data on the way; it does not decide who receives it. Once you authorize, that service has your documents |
| Does the list match the purpose? | Signing up for a newsletter does not need a passport scan, an address and a selfie |
| Did the request come as a normal message? | The real feature is a request screen. Anyone asking you to send photos of your ID into a chat is not using Passport |
| Does it come with a privacy policy? | The request screen tells you whether you are accepting one, or sending documents with no policy at all |
Removing your data
Inside Passport you can delete single documents, your email or phone number, or the whole thing with Delete Telegram Passport; iOS warns that all data will be lost. Deleting your Passport does not take back copies a service already received; ask that service directly. How the end-to-end encryption itself works is covered in Telegram encryption explained in plain words.
FAQ
Is Telegram Passport safe?
The data is end-to-end encrypted and Telegram cannot read it. The risk is choosing who to send it to; the service you authorize receives your documents.
Can Telegram see my Passport documents?
No. The app says nobody, including Telegram, can access them without your permission.
How do I delete my Telegram Passport?
Open Telegram Passport and choose Delete Telegram Passport. Copies a service already received must be removed by that service.
Sources
At a glance
- 1What it is
ID data shared on a service's request.
- 2Before authorizing
Real service, sensible list, a privacy policy.
- 3Scams
Telegram never asks for ID in a chat.
Updated
